Happenstance
by RecklessDreams
Summary: A story of odds and ends. A fight for justice and truth. Two people will find solace in a cruel and desolate world. Draco x OC (Please give it a chance. Not as horrible as you'd think.)


_Author's Note: Hey guys! I'm currently editing and re-doing my Sherlock story, and this is a new one that I just couldn't stop writing. I'm like three chapters in already. So safe to say my updates will hopefully come faster. Once a week–every Monday, because my house has no wifi. I know, it's **dreadful**. So anyways. A new idea. New story._

_I'm sorry if you don't like OC's but I''ll try to make them as bearable as possible. Promise! So yeah. You may notice. (If you're a super HP fan) that some of the names were in the Original Forty list that JK Rowling wrote up.(I got it off of Pottermore and HP Lexicon) So, mainly the names—some of them– belong to her, and others I got creative._

_So, yeah. Tell me what you think! I would appreciate the feedback._

**Disclaimer: I do not own many of the characters or any-works belonging to JK Rowling.**

_Without further adieu, I give you the first chapter of Happenstance._

* * *

_September 1, 1991, London, England._

_Kings Cross_

_Platform Nine and three quarters_

* * *

_Arwen Lydia Smith stood with her elder brother and parents as the Hogwarts Express pulled up to the Platform. It was her and her brother's, Finn, first year at Hogwarts, and she was filled with excitement. Her family always talked and reminisced about their years at the school. Now that it was her turn, she couldn't wait._

_"Now, remember," her mother started, bending at the knees so she was eye-level with her daughter. "Your father and I don't care which house you and your brother are placed in. Okay?"_

_Arwen, who liked to be called Lydia, nodded, her tamed auburn curls bouncing with the movement. "Any house is a good house?"_

_"Precisely, sweetheart," her father nodded in confirmation and ruffled her hair. Which she swatted his hand away with a frown."Your mother was a Gryffindor and I was in Ravenclaw."_

_"But Blaise says that Slytherin is the best house," Finn frowned, looking at his parents. "Especially for Purebloods, like us."_

_Matt and Clara exchanged a worried look._

_"Finn, I want you to remember that blood purity doesn't matter," Matt sighed, giving his son a firm stare. "You can make friends with anyone you'd like, be them pureblood, muggleborn or halfblood. I don't want to hear of any bigoting here."_

_Finn sighed and nodded. "Okay, dad, okay."_

_The train whistled, signaling it was starting to leave._

_"Have a good year! A nice proper first year," Clara bopped her kids on the nose with her index finger and curled her arm around her husband's arm. "I'll make sure to send a few treats!"_

_"Don't forget to write," Matt said with a grin._

_"Bye mum, bye dad," Lydia and Finn exclaimed, jumping onto the train and waving to their parents._

_The Smith's smiled back and waved to their kids._

* * *

Cold.

All Lydia felt was the frigid cold. She was shivering, falling and drowning, all at once. She was screaming, but couldn't hear the sound of her own voice. Despair ensnared her fully. She saw water everywhere and without warning everything went pitch black.

Lydia.

Lydia.

She felt nothing, but she heard something in the dark. Someone calling out to her.

LYDIA! ARWEN!

She saw a light, bright and heading towards her. Lydia groaned as the light flooded her vision. The girl gasped and sat up in bed.

Hovering over her was her elder cousin, Addy, who held a worried expression as she peered into Lydia's confused, glazed over eyes. The world sounded muffled and looked fuzzy, like someone had put a silencing charm over it, or had hit her with a confundus charm. Everything was spinning and she had trouble focusing on her cousin who was still speaking to her. Lydia blinked a few times, and the world seemed to refocus at a rapid rate. The feeling of a ton of bricks slammed into her and she as gasped for oxygen.

"Arwen! Arwen, breathe, hon. Breathe!" Addy stressed, patting Lydia's back in a comforting manner.

Lydia struggled to control her breathing and a few minutes past before her heart rate went down and she was able to breath properly. She glared at Addy.

"It's Lydia, cuz," she said coughing and then wiping the small beads of sweat from her brow. Lydia cast a quick look around the dorm and found only one side of the drapes of her four poster bed was drawn. She could've sworn she left all of the drapes drawn open.

"Don't worry," Addy said. "One of the girls came to fetch me when she heard you screaming. Knowing I can only get you up, and I cast a silencing charm once I got here." Her cousin always knew how to quell her worries.

Lydia sighed and flopped back onto her pillow, groaning.

"What was it this time?" Addy asked, worry lined her pretty features.

Lydia screwed her eyes shut and exhaled.

"I was drowning this time," she grumbled and looked at Addy. "I prefer that, then falling to my death."

Addy winced, and nodded somberly. Pity for the younger girl.

"How long has it been since your last one?" Addy said shifting a bit so that she crossed her legs on the bed.

Lydia sat up and leaned against her headboard. The nightmares, or better, nighterrors had started during the Triwizard Tournament, her fourth year. After the horror of the third task had ended. They outright–true to their name, terrified her. She had no idea what brought them on. All of them were inconsistent and sometimes they'd repeat themselves. It was the same theme, over and over. Lydia dying different ways in her dreams. For a certain length during the summer, they'd stopped, but once the dates to return to school got closer they started up again. She hadn't told her parents, Lydia knew that her father would dote on her till she was sick and tired of it. He had a certain protectiveness over her.

"A week ago," Lydia said, shaking her head. "Right after classes started, and I met Umbridge."

She shuddered a bit. That was a dreadful woman. Too pink and too toad-like.

"I think you should tell Uncle Matt or Aunt Clara, because they might have an answer for you Ly," Addy sighed and stood from the bed. She grabbed a vile off of Lydia's nightstand and passed it towards the distraught girl. "Now take this please, because you need sleep for classes tomorrow, and you're gonna go and write to your parents."

Lydia bit her lip and consented. Classes were even more hectic with stupid Umbridge running around. She opened the vile and drank the purple Sleeping Potion. It was always just in case she needed a deep sleep. Addy whispered goodnight and closed off the drape and Lydia blinked a few time before successfully knocking out.

* * *

_Tuesday, September 11, 1995_

Lydia was fortunate enough to receive four magnificent, but crazy roommates, who all became fast friends during their first year. Lisa Turpin, was always reading, there would never be a time that you didn't see her veiled with her long chocolate hair, and her hazel eyes transfixed on the pages in front of her. Her friends called her a walking Encyclopedia, with wizard facts and muggle facts. She had a strange fascination with muggles that usually came quite handy, with her father being a muggleborn. It all worked out in the end. She was impatient most of the time, but the most compassionate of the group and always scolded Lydia whenever she used magic to start fights. She was sensible and fair in every sense of the word.

Mandy Brocklehurst was Lisa's cousin from her mother's side. She was more dedicated to music than anything. She loved playing the flute, influenced from her mother and from her father, a muggle, was an avid guitar player. Mandy's love for music transferred to singing–a powerful voice, and writing up music. Her homework was always littered with music notes to a song, or a song she had composed. Sometimes, much to the chagrin of the professors, she'd charm it that the notes would play the music written. She had bouncy caramel-blonde hair, that was always loose. Mandy proclaimed she hated tying her hair. Always refusing to do so in Potions class. Stubborn she was as well, and always had to be right. Her light cerulean eyes twinkled with joy every time she triumphed in a goal, whichever goal, she'd set for herself. It was part of who she was.

Isobel MacDougal was clever. Clever with her choppy blonde hair and sharp brown eyes. Her pixie like looks fooled everyone into thinking she was naive, it was sad really. She loved muggle science, even though she was pureblooded. The girl knew everything there was about it. Her IQ was positively high, on a true genius level, and she was easily one of the smartest, most intelligent in her class. Only Hermione Granger besting her in the fact that she ran with Potter. Isobel spoke quick, real quick. Most times her friends had to remind her to stop and take a breath. She claimed it was her thoughts that flew at such a rapid rate that she just couldn't stop herself. Genius of a girl. Isobel had a knack of hooking up–only a snog, with guys, as psychological experiments. This had started up when they were in their fourth year. To top it off, she had a crazy photographic memory. Isobel was most certainly a force to be reckoned with, especially if she was truly passionate about something. The girl had a fight still left in her.

Lastly was the wonderful Sue Hurst. She was a feisty brunette with wavy hair. She was of Scottish, Pilipino and Chinese decent. Her Scottish side coming out strong. She had stronger opinions on everything and argued with anyone who thought otherwise. Sue had a temper, that the others tended to stray away from. She had her muggleborn heritage to uphold. Her family being an aristocracy in the muggle world. They weren't exactly thrilled that their only daughter was a witch. So, usually if not around her friends she could be quite brash. Her tongue getting the best of her.

Lydia, who's first name was Arwen. Her mother's idea, after reading a book by a muggle author, J. R. Tolkien, and falling in love with the name. She was a bit like both her parents. Quick witted and childish like her father, and smart and observant like her mother. She had a knack for being over curious, usually getting into loads of trouble for that. Lydia was a natural polyglot, learning various languages ever since she was a child. Thanks to her father with his love for many languages. She was essentially a child at heart and loved to play pranks. She loved riddles and giving people riddles, safe to say her brother was never happy when she spouted out riddles at him that he couldn't answer. The knocker to enter the Ravenclaw common room always tried to make the question or riddle the most difficult. She was the girl you'd see among her friends that was always laughing, even if she was going through a rough patch, her walls wouldn't crumble. A strong spirit if anything.

"Lydia! Let's go, or we're going to be late for breakfast," Lisa Turpin stressed, tapping her foot impatiently on the hardwood floor. Clutched in her hand was one of her many owned books. She glanced at her wrist watch, simple and dainty, a gift from her grandmother.

Lydia was searching through her trunk at the end of her bed for pieces of parchment and her quills. It was about time to write her parents, Addy was right. Though, she was only going to write her progress of the year so far, and only include her nightmares in a later letter. She cheered silently as she grabbed the aforementioned things and stuffed them into her school bag. Lydia grabbed her wand and slid it into her arm holster under her robes, where it was usually put.

"Finally!" Lisa exclaimed and pulled at Lydia's robes to get her to start walking.

"Where's Isobel?" Lydia asked, as they made their way out of the Ravenclaw Tower, taking step by step down the spiraling staircase that led to the fifth floor. Usually Lydia, Lisa and Isobel were the last of the room to head to breakfast. While Mandy and Sue had already headed down a little ways before.

Lydia and Lisa dodged throngs of students, as they reached the main corridor, who were ambling their way to the Great Hall for breakfast.

"Probably snogging some poor bloke in the library," Lisa snorted, and shook her head. "Honestly, that girl needs to stop. For how smart she is, she can really be daft."

Lydia laughed. "Oh stop," she chided. "Belle is a bit eccentric when it comes down to her so called experiments, but she'll get bored soon enough. Wait and see."

The two friends made a beeline towards their table, where the food having already appeared. They made a beeline on either side of the table to where Mandy and Sue sat.

"Goodmorning ladies!" Lydia sang sitting herself down next to Sue, who had the Daily Prophet wide open in front of her.

The auburn haired girl pulled out a piece of parchment and her quill, along with her wand. She muttered a spell and the quill started to write on the parchment, the letter for her parents. Lydia tucked her wand away.

Sue gave her a wave without looking up, and Mandy was scribbling furiously on a long piece of parchment. Lydia and Lisa exchanged amused looks before looking at their friends.

"Anything interestin'?" Lydia bumped Sue lightly on the shoulder, and she nearly choked on the pumpkin juice she was drinking. The dark haired girl semi-glared at her and swallowed her drink. Lydia gave her an innocent grin and started piling her food on her plate.

"Not really," the girl quipped turning a page. "Other than Sturgis Podmore being sent to Azkaban, and the bitch being appointed High Inquisitor. They're milking it for all it's worth."

Lydia rolled her eyes, of course. The Daily Prophet was a load of bollocks half the time. She grimaced, remembering the week she spent with a few of her family members, at Grimmauld Place, helping the Order and Weasley's clean the place up. Safe to say the old Black house wasn't at the top of her favorites list. It was no secret that the Smith family and the Black family didn't get along as of late. Let's just say that a change of her was in order. Lydia pushed away her treacherous thoughts and she dug in to the delicious food. House elves really knew how to cook.

"Where are Kevin and Steve? They should be here by now," Lisa said, pulling away from her conversation about Quidditch with Mandy. It was no secret that the two cousins shared a great like for the sport, and put their differences aside to eagerly speak about it.

Sue shrugged, not really caring. She was always nonchalant about the two guys from their little Ravenclaw group. Though, if anyone asked Lydia, she could swear that Sue fancied Stephen. Those two bickered on and on about everything.

Kevin Entwhistle and Stephen Cromwell, two Ravenclaw's in their year. Kevin was the one who delightedly joined Lydia in her pranks and a few times enlisted the Weasley twins to help. He was a muggleborn, born to a French mother and British father, In London. His mother was a wonderful chef, that owned a French restaurant in the heart of Paris and his father a cardiothoracic surgeon in one of the best hospitals in Paris. His parents were open to him being a wizard, so they shipped an ecstatic Kevin off to Hogwarts when he was eleven.

Stephen Cantos was more subdued with his attitude. He harbored no prejudice against anyone. Obvious reasons his bestfriend being muggleborn. He came from a middle class wonderful family. His parent's being both Portuguese. They had moved to the UK when he was six, and they kept to themselves for the most part and preferred not to mess with the Wizarding community.

"Kevin's over there with them ickle Gryffindorks," Mandy said with a grin, and pointed in his direction. "He's flirting with Ginny, ol' Ronald doesn't seem to like that. Steve isn't here yet, I s'posse."

Sure enough, Kevin sat across from the Weasley and full on making the girl laugh and Ron Weasley sat–glaring at Kevin–with Hermione Granger and Harry Potter a few people away.

"Oh, her boyfriend isn't going to like that," Lydia shook her head and stood up. Her friends, save for Sue–who hadn't been in a good mood that morning, gave her perplexed looks. She laughed at their looks. "I have a few family things to take care of. If I'm not back before class starts, don't wait up."

They nodded and waved her off. Lydia grinned and grabbed her finished letter and shoved her quill into her bag. She strolled over to the Gryffindor table first. Lydia came from a big family, mostly pureblooded. Nearly as old as the Black family. There were cases of prejudice in the family, all her great-aunts and uncles rumored to be dabbling in the Dark Arts, and her second and thirds cousins alluding the elder family members like the dragon pox. It certainly wasn't easy. Especially with her great-uncle Alexander and great-aunt Lora being deatheaters to the public, and then there was the case that many of her past family members being blasted of the family tree. It was ridiculous.

Lydia sighed, trying to shake off her thoughts. She loved her family, her closest relatives, her twin uncles, her aunts, and even her adopted squib aunt Astrid and also adopted, muggleborn Donna, dearly. They were all family to her and she cherished them. In her family tree, five kids came from her great-uncles and aunts, and her second cousins. Those were the ones that shied away from the deatheaters of the family. Her extended family fell, but didn't end, to five-third generation cousins. Roland and Kira Pertwee-McGann, twin siblings. Each fifth year Gryffindors. Neena and Leonardo Delacroix-Smith, the former three years younger and in Hufflepuff, and the latter a fifth year Slytherin. And lastly Oliver Davison-Smith, a sixth year Ravenclaw. Her immediate family had welcomed them in with open arms, in the family estate(s).

Lydia spotted Kevin once again and came up behind him. The idiot didn't even notice, as he was too immersed in his conversation with Ginny.

"Oi you thickhead," Lydia snapped, and smacked the back of his head, non to softly. "Stop flirting with Ginny and go sit with your table."

Kevin whirled around just to see Lydia waving to Ginny with a smile.

"Ow! Arwen," he glared, rubbing the back of his head. "Don't be a jerk."

A few Gryffindors noticed the scene and laughed at the Ravenclaw's despair at the hands of the prefect. Ginny had covered her mouth with her hand and was really trying to laugh.

"Sod off Entwhistle, you have classes soon," she stuck her tongue out at him and turned to Ginny. "Goodmorning, I trust everything is in order here."

Ginny laughed and nodded. "Sorted." She gave a thumbs up, and laughed at Kevin's downcast expression.

"Shut up, Smith, you're not fooling anyone," Kevin grumbled, bidding farewell to Ginny and getting up to stand with Lydia.

Lydia shot him a cocky grin. "Yeah well, we can't all be perfect. Can we?" she spotted Steve walking towards her and Kevin and waved him down obnoxiously. Much to his displeasure. "Right Steve? We can't all be perfect like you!"

Steve paused his trek towards his bestfriends. It must've shown on his face that he was regretting all his life choices–right there and then, because the much of the Ravenclaw and Gryffindor tables cackled with laughter.

"Bloody hell woman," Steve retorted once he got closer, ignoring the laughter. A frown etched onto his aristocratic features. "Must you make such noise at this hour?"

"Mate, it's nearly nine o'clock," Kevin rolled his eyes and slapped Steve's back playfully. Making the later grunt, and glare at Kevin. "Not that early."

"You, shut up," was his grumpy reply and punched Kevin in the shoulder.

Lydia shook with laugher and gave them both a pat on the cheek.

"Oh you two," she said in a faux dreamy tone. She chuckled once more and reverted to her regular tone. "I better see you two in class. Do not be late."

They simultaneously rolled their eyes and made to walk to where her friends congregated. She shot them a look and stalked off. Her second detour was her brother. Finn was sat with the Golden Trio. She grinned and nearly tackled him from behind in his seat. He was already expecting her, as the owls had come with the post. Their family barn owl, Hercules, was perched in front of him on Ron's cup. Who was giving the poor

"Goodmorning brother dearest!" she shouted. This earned a few glares, she flipped them off nonchalantly and sat right in between Harry and Finn. She waved to the Trio. "And goodmorning to you three."

"Hello Arwen," Hermione smiled at her, raising her head from her book, perched in front of her.

"Lydia," Lydia mumbled back.

Ron laughed at this and nodded at Lydia.

"Alright Lydia?" he said, and then chew on a scone.

"Splendid, Ron," she shot him a thumbs up and gave Harry and pat on the shoulder.

He didn't look so wonderful.

"What's got ya so down Potter?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowing.

"Detention with Umbridge," he spat.

Lydia tsked. "It's more like Umbitch," she said, shaking her index finger at him.

Finn sighed, pulling her attention from Harry. He gave her a reprimanding look.

"Must you be so vulgar, woman?" he asked teasingly.

"Oh I must," she turned her nose haughtily in the air, playing the part of the snob. "The bitch deserves it."

He shook his head. "Yeah, yeah. Do you have anything for mum and dad? Hercules is getting restless."

Lydia nodded and pulled out the parchment she'd written on and sealed it. She wrote the address and tied it to Hercules's leg. She pet him and fed him a treat that Finn handed her. He cooed at her and flew away.

"I come baring gifts," she said pulling out a small package from their mum. It was French truffles, which were a delight. They were Finn's favorite, she tossed it to him. "Catch."

He caught them and nodded at her. She could definitely see the underlining excited as he stared hungrily at the chocolates.

"Anyways," she said, in a pseudo forlorn tone. "I must be off, places to be! People to see! Arevoir mes amies!"

Lydia saluted and then waved to the four of them, who gave their own farewell. She stood there for a few seconds, her eyes trailing around the student body. The Great Hall wasn't as full during breakfast. People oversleeping, or doing whatever else they did before classes started. None of her other family members were around, so she decided the library was perfect to head to before her classes started. She needed a book on astronomy for her Astronomy class later on at night. Quickly she made her way out of the Great Hall started her trek to the library.

It was a dreary day, she noticed as she caught a glimpse of the outside, before she climbed the marble staircase towards the moving staircases. She shook her head. Her dreams flashing for a bit as she moved onto another staircase. Lydia couldn't lie. This one nightmare had really rattled her. It seemed ridiculous that she died so many times, and different ways no less. They made no sense. The more she pondered, the more confusion she felt. What did they mean?

She stepped off onto the Fourth Floor and walked down the expanding corridor. Her thoughts muddled. Lydia didn't seem to notice she was headed straight for someone, walking the opposite direction. Unfortunately for her, they did.

"Watch it, blood traitor." They spat, pushing her away, disrupting Lydia from her thoughts as she unexpectedly stumbled away.

Lydia gasped and caught herself in time before she crashed into the stone wall unceremoniously. She pushed herself off the wall and whirled around all in one go to face her offender. Slate-blue eyes glared out right at her. She groaned internally and scowled at him.

"Malfoy, you little ferret," Lydia ground out, clenching her fist. "What the hell is wrong with you!"

The ferret and Lydia had never gotten on well. His family despised hers, thinking all of them to be blood traitors, only because they didn't support the Dark Arts. So, any chance he got, he picked on her and her family members, much like the Weasley's or any good family.

Draco Malfoy had his infamous obnoxious sneer in place.

"You're the one wrong here, Smith," he replied disdainfully. "You weren't watching where you were going, you insufferable ninny."

Lydia narrowed her eyes at him and flipped him the birdie graciously. Pulling out her wand in the process. He walked closer, a few steps away from invading her personal bubble. If she wanted, she could lunge and poke his eye out with it. If only that wasn't frowned upon in society.

"What are you going to do," Malfoy taunted, a near amused expression on his face. "Hex me?"

Lydia scoffed. "You're so predictable." She said, meanwhile she mentally listed off the spells she could use. Her mind flying a mile a minute. It was quite simple to her. She had an affinity with remembering useful things. No photographic memory, but a good one that she could easily recall particular details.

Malfoy laughed sardonically and pulled out his own wand.

"What's that have to do with anything?" he snapped, lifting his wand defensively towards her.

Lydia smirked mischievously. "Because so am I," she said, and cast a spell. "_Obscuro_!"

"_Protego_!" Malfoy bit back, and took a step back whilst giving her a dirty look. "What the f–."

"_Avis_," she snapped her wrist, not letting him finish his sentence, conjuring a small flock of blue birds. Without missing a beat she threw another one. "_Oppungo_!"

Malfoy's eyes widened to saucers and he tried to deflect the oncoming birds.

"Bugger off you git," she spat, smirking as he tried to deflect the vicious birds. "You're waisting my time." For added affect, Lydia twirled around, her robes whooshing dramatically as she turned her back to Malfoy and confidently strutted away. Leaving a panicking Malfoy behind as she added a few more birds to the flock.

She chuckled to herself skipping down the corridor and entered the Library. Lydia flickered her eyes to her watch, _8:40am_. Enough time to search for her much needed book, and to get to her Arithmancy class.

Lydia's good mood was definitely established that morning after her encounter with Malfoy. One thing could be said. She wasn't above using her magic to defend herself from annoying prats.


End file.
